It was a busy day of ground-breaking ceremonies for long-term care homes in the Quinte region.
Construction of the Clare McFaul Long Term Care Home in Madoc, and the Neighbourhood Better Living home in Belleville are underway.
In Madoc, the facility is located at 208 St Lawrence Street West and will be a one-floor building with 128 new beds.
“There’ll be no basement. No second floor. No elevators. This will truly be a special and one-of-a-kind home,” president of UniversalCare Canada, Joseph Gulizia said in a speech.
The home is being named after the late Clare McFaul.
“He was recognized as a great friend, a mason, a Shriner, a community builder,” Gulizia said.
“As my wife’s grandfather, I had the privilege of witnessing his greatness through his simple acts of kindness and significant moments of excellence in our home. Our aim with this home is to honour his values, character and unwavering commitment to excellence.”
The new facility is being run by UniversalCare Canada Inc..
President of UniversalCare Canada, Joseph Gulizia, delivering a speech at the ground-breaking ceremony for the Clare McFaul Long Term Care Home. November 3, 2023. (Photo: Zach McGibbon/Quinte News)
In Belleville, the facility will be located at 645 Sydney Street and will feature 160 new beds.
“We wanted to build a place that could feel like a home, somewhere where generations of Ontarians can receive exceptional service, exceptional care, and most importantly, stay in this community of Belleville, surrounded by their friends and their loved ones,” Sebastian Mizzi, Vice President of Neighbourhood Better Living, said in a speech.
“Today, we’re one step closer to that.”
Construction of the home is in partnership with SigNature Communities Inc., Clearway Construction Inc., and UniversalCare Canada Inc.
Ontario’s Minister of Long-Term Care, Stan Cho, delivering a speech at the site of the Neighbourhood Better Living home in Belleville, November 3, 2023. (Photo: Zach McGibbon/Quinte News)
Ontario’s Minister of Long-Term Care, Stan Cho, was in attendance for both ground-breaking ceremonies.
He says the homes should live up to exactly that name, a home.
“It’ll be a community,” Cho tells media.
“These are homes for our seniors and much-needed homes. We have a capacity issue. We have an aging population with more seniors moving into our province every single year. That means the time to build these homes was yesterday.”
Rendering of the Neighbourhood Better Living long term care facility to be built at 645 Sidney Street.
The province is touting the homes having “design improvements” including larger resident common areas and air conditioning throughout the building.
The homes are part of the Ford government’s plan to bring more than 30,000 new long-term care beds to Ontario by 2028 and upgrading more than 28,000 older beds to modern design standards.
Both homes are expected to welcome residents in the fall of 2025.
